Sir Ian Kennedy joins King's Fund inquiry into GP quality

Former Healthcare Commission chair Sir Ian Kennedy is to take over the King’s Fund’s inquiry into the quality of general practice in England, it was announced today.

The inquiry, previously led by King’s Fund chief executive Niall Dickson, is examining the quality of care and services provided by GPs and other health professionals working in general practice.

Quality of diagnosis and referral, patients’ access to care and treatment of those with long-term conditions are among the areas under examination.

Sir Ian Kennedy said: “It is vital that we develop more effective ways of measuring the quality of care delivered by our GPs and other primary care professionals.

“On the whole they provide excellent care but we know standards are not universally high. By investigating how care is delivered in general practice, this inquiry aims to both shed light on patients’ perspectives of the care they receive, and to establish how professional practice can be improved to meet and exceed those patients’ expectations.”

The NHS is at risk of losing significant amounts of its additional funding growth because of the time it will take to address its workforce shortages, according to a former Department of Health senior official.